Florida Sneak Peak at Carriers on Exchange

[Tkruger]

Insurers file to sell 2015 marketplace health plans in Florida, rates still not known | Tampa Bay Times

Just came across this and figured I'd share. Key points I want to mention are the new carriers throwing their hats in the ring.

UHOne, Coventry Health Care of Florida; Preferred Medical Plan; Sunshine State Health Plans; Health First Health Plans; Health First Insurance Inc.; Time Insurance Inc.; and Health Options, which is a Florida Blue-affiliated company.

 

[bluediamond]

Heard United Health filed in 65 counties. Also just heard that the rate increases for existing ACA plans were going to around an average of 12%.

The article got the open enrollment dates wrong or at least the ending date.

 

[FLM2]

Heard United Health filed in 65 counties. Also just heard that the rate increases for existing ACA plans were going to around an average of 12%.

The article got the open enrollment dates wrong or at least the ending date.

It will be interesting to see UHC and Assurant's rates for 2015.

IF UHC has filed in that many counties they have all the information needed to blow Florida Blue out of the water.

Assurant took a a different approach by selling Off Exchange in 2014, they are very competitive with the morons at Blue in 2014 so they know where they need to be in 2015 as well.

Blue's archaic exclusive distribution channel, coupled with the way they delayed payments to agents (or didn't pay at all), termed long time agents for not writing enough business when their internal systems weren't working, etc, etc, etc, have, IMO, set them up for an historic fall from grace in Florida.

You can pretty much guarantee that Golden Rule's rates will be lower than Blue's across the board, that's what they've always done in the past to capture market share and next year won't be any different. And every Florida agent with an axe to grind with Blue will go after them relentlessly (I know I will).

The only way Blue knows how to compete is by avoiding competition, that's not going to work in the level playing field era of health insurance-they don't have the largest market share for Medicare even though they have competitive supplemet rates and MAPD plans and the U65 market has the potential to act in the exact same manner.

 

[Yagents]

God, I hope you're right FLM

or maybe Blue starts allowing independent agents to bring more choice to clients. Their captive model is against everything ACA was supposed to bring.

 

[FLM2]

God, I hope you're right FLM

or maybe Blue starts allowing independent agents to bring more choice to clients. Their captive model is against everything ACA was supposed to bring.

Blue will never change their captive model, it is rooted into their 'good old boys' network of contracted general agents who prey on new and experienced agents with inflated claims of income that never happen.

Blue hides behind their CGA's because all commission payments are made to them, not the agent. So Blue pays all commissions, it's just that lots of them stay with the CGA, who can decide how much and how long to pay the agent. An example is our own Blue Diamond, who gets no renewals for either U65 or Medicare even though his CGA not only gets the agent portion of the renewal but a hefty override on top of that.

As another example, I attended a CGA-sponsored meeting last year in Tampa where the local Blue regional sales manager presented a scenario where agents could make well over $200K during the upcoming OEP for Exchange business-I doubt many of these agents made even $20K during that time.

I can't speak for every Florida based agent but this upcoming OEP will be a good time to put clients on Metal tier plans without the name Blue on them at rates below those being offered by them and, as I've said, I intend to do that on a daily basis.

 

[ameneses54]

Insurers file to sell 2015 marketplace health plans in Florida, rates still not known | Tampa Bay Times

Just came across this and figured I'd share. Key points I want to mention are the new carriers throwing their hats in the ring.

UHOne, Coventry Health Care of Florida; Preferred Medical Plan; Sunshine State Health Plans; Health First Health Plans; Health First Insurance Inc.; Time Insurance Inc.; and Health Options, which is a Florida Blue-affiliated company.

Hi,
The link doesn't mention Assurant---any news about this player?

 

[Tkruger]

Hi,
The link doesn't mention Assurant---any news about this player?

Time is Assurant. Are you currently appointed with Assurant?

 

[Yagents]

This is for NV, but ouch! I haven't seen one state released where Assurant rate increases were not below 20%

Getting worried over here..........I'll have a lot of work to do this OEP if the same goes for my states

---------------------
The Nevada insurer proposing the biggest average change is Time Insurance Co., with a rate spike of 36 percent.

Time Insurance did not comment on its request by press time.

First look at health insurance costs for 2015 show wildly varying changes | Las Vegas Review-Journal

 

[ameneses54]

Time is Assurant. Are you currently appointed with Assurant?

Thanks for pointing that out regarding Assurant. I am appointed and quite thrilled to see what the premiums and networks will be on the plans that are offered within the Marketplace.

 

[FLM2]

This is for NV, but ouch! I haven't seen one state released where Assurant rate increases were not below 20%

Getting worried over here..........I'll have a lot of work to do this OEP if the same goes for my states

---------------------
The Nevada insurer proposing the biggest average change is Time Insurance Co., with a rate spike of 36 percent.

Time Insurance did not comment on its request by press time.

First look at health insurance costs for 2015 show wildly varying changes | Las Vegas Review-Journal

If they raise rates like that in Florida they will lose all their business in the state-in that case moving all of my clients to lower cost plans will be very, very easy and make it a very successful OEP with the new 1st year commissions.

While I like Assurant (and so do my clients) I'm going to put people in the plans that combine solid PPO network (that leaves out Humana) with competitive pricing-Aetna, UHC, and Cigna all fit that profile if their rates are OK.

I continue to think that rates are going to fluctuate wildly from year to year among carriers-that works well for me as I have a sufficient book of clients to only focus on them during OEP and moving clients for the right reasons would work best for my business.